Leather shaving machine



F. WAYLAND Nov. 15, 1932.

LEATHER SHAVING MACHINE Filed Aug. 9. 1929 Patented Nov. 15,1932

UNITED 'STATES rnANTg WAYLANnoF'sALnM, MAssAcHsErrs i LEATHER ,sHAvING MACHINE ApplicationledAugust 9, 1929. SerialIain-384,635,iV

This invention pertains to leather shaving machines of the kind employed in tanning and other leather working establishments, andk relates more particularly Jto-improved 5 means for supporting and controlling the bed or feed roll of such a machine.

Machines of this ltype usually comprise a rotating.A shaving knife or cutter and a feed d roll which is bodily movable toward and l@ from the cutter, and which is adapted to press the work into contact with the cutterv blades. In accordance with the usual practice, the operatorendeavors to save as muchv H weight in the hide or skin as possible, and l@ thus lshaves voff only such portions of the skinas are unfit for use, shifting the hide over the feed roller between successive engagements with the cutter, and whenV so M shiftingit relieving the pressure between the ff roll and cutter. To facilitate this non-uniform shaving, the bed or feed rolllis actu# ated by a treadle upon whichthe-operator rests so much of his weight as is necessary to obtain the desired depthV of cut at any given 'd spot, the pressure upon the treadle being the determiningfactor at all times which controls the operation ofthe knife` upon the hide or skin. In accordance with certain A modern practices in shoe making, it is some- EU- times desirable to preparehides or skins 0f uniform thickness, which may require shaving the entire surface of a skin as distinguished from the more usual practice of shaving only in selected spots. VOn the other "Q hand, the old type of shaving machine de# signed for spot shaving, and dependent wholly upon the weight of the operator applied to the treadle, is not well adapted for n shavingA an entire skin or hide to a uniform u' thickness, and in using such machine for this latter purpose lit may be necessary to shave the hide several times in order to reduce it `to the uniform thickness desired. 1 Moreover, even for spot'shaving, the old type of machine is not altogether satisfactory by reasonof the complexity of connectionsbetween the actuating treadle and the bed or feed roll operated thereby, the large number m of joints producing a cumulative lost motion V whichmakes accuracyof operation difficult while the usual mode of applyingv the pressure t'o the feed roll is wasteful of-the operators strength. f i

I am aware 'that certain attemptsvhave been made to force thevfeed roll toward the cutter by kpower actuated means, as for eX- ample a. crank, in order to holdthe feed roll at the proper distancefrom the cutter and with the necessary resistance to` permit the hide to be shaved in a single pass between the "a rolland cutter, but in all such prior attempts, so far as is known to me, the feed roll, as in the old foot power machine,has been mount ed at the upper end of a pivoted support and the force forfmoving the support has been applied'through a system of levers or the like at a point below theaXis of thesupport, and this indirectapplication of the force through parts which yield or spring, .or through joints which develop wear, always causes a certaindegree of lost motion. Since the thickness dimension of the hide is rela tively small,- it lresultsV from such previous. constructions that although, theoretically, the hide should be reduced to a uniform 75 thickness, it isnot so reduced as a matter of fact, but presents variations in thickness from end to end. VA furtherresult is thatV hides areoften shaved more heavily than is necessary, due to the necessity of over-adjustment of the parts in the attempt'to secure uniformity. Moreover, since such power operated machines are always positive in aci Y tion, they are not available for use in spot shaving, which is still employed injdealing soY 85 with many kinds of leather. i

In accordancel with the present invention I provide means adapted optionally either to hold the feed roll unyieldingly and with the greatest accuracy at a fixed distance from the cutter during-the cutting operation andl which under such circumstances is positive in its action and during the cutting operation is wh-olly'independent of force exerted either by the voperator .or'by .the driving power of the mechanism, or alternatively to permit the 4application. of ayieldingand varying pressurey during'cutting as in 'the older types ofm'achine. Y This holding means is very simple andinexpensive to construct; 100

it can be applied to existing machines, and while not ordinarily subject to wear or lost motion by reason of multiplicity of joints or the like, is provided with means for taking Y up any such slight wear as may develop.

In the accompanying drawing: In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, showing such portions of a leather shaving machine of well-known typemembers 1 and 2 which may be united in anyl usual manner to form a rigid support for the operating parts. VThe frame members 1 and 2-support bearings in which the shaft of a rotary 'shaving cutter 3 is mounted, such shaft being driven in any suitable manner from a proper source of power. The cutter 3 may be of any desired type, preferably employing a plurality of blades. Y The machine may also comprise the usual grinding wheel l for sharpening the blades of the cutter.

At a suitable point, preferably between the vertical plane ofthe cutter axis and the front of the machine, I arrange a horizontal shaft 5 in the frame members land 2, and on this shaft I mount an oscillatory frame which carriesvthe support for the feed roll. Preferably, this frame comprisesthe spaced side members 6 and 7 and the upper transverse bar 8. The bar 8 is furnished with a centrally disposed swivel stud or bolt 9 (Fig. 2) which passes through an opening in the horizontal base member 10 of the feed roll support. Near its opposite ends, the upper member 8 of the frame is furnished with forwardly projecting brackets 11 carrying adjustable stop screws 12 adapted to engage the member 10 near the opposite ends of the latter respectively, and thus to determine its angular adjustment about the stud 9.

The support 10 is provided at its opposite endsvwith upright bracket members 10a and 10b having aligned journal openings for the ends Vof a shaft carrying the feed roll. 13. In the normal operative positions of the I parts the axis of the feed roll is preferably disposed substantially in the same horizontal plane as the axis of t-he cutter, the feed Jroll 13 being disposed in front of the cut- In order to limit movement of the feed roll support away from thecutter, I prefer to provide brackets 14 and 15 projecting from the frame members 1 and 2 respectively,'said brackets carrying adjustable sto-p screws 16 and 17 adapted to engage the members 6 and 7 respectively of the feed roll supporting frame. In order automatically to swing the feed roll away from the cutter when the retainingmeans hereinafter described is released, I provide the frame members 6 and 7 with downwardly directed tails 18 and 19 respectively, to which are secured the forward ends of springs 20 and 21, whose rear ends are attached to pins 22 and 22a, respectively, proj ecting from the frame members 1 and 2. Thus, by proper adjustment kof the screws 16 and 17, the amount of separation of the feed roll from the cutter for the introduction of work between them mayT be adjusted, while by adjustment of the screws 12 the axis of the feed roll may be brought into accurate parallelism with the axis of the cutter.V

For moving the bed or feed roll 13 toward the cutter and for positively and unyieldingly holding it in operative position, I providea toggle mechanism comprising the linkA 23 (Figs.A 2 and 3) having vat its rear end a sleeve 24 which receives a shaft 25 secured aty its opposite ends in the end members 10a andv 10b above referred to. A second toggle link 26 is pivotally. united to the forwardy end Yof the link 23 by a pivot pin 27 so as t0- form a knuckie joint between the two links. The forward end of the sleeve 26 is' provided with a cylindrical portion 28 having conical sockets in its outer ends adapted to receive conical pintle pins 29 and 30 having screw` threaded engagement with openings in upstanding brackets carried by a slide member 31.` This slide member rests upon the fiat upper surface of a xed table 32 extending betweenthe frame members land 2, and 'ixedly secured to the latter, as by means Vof bolts 33 v(Fig. 3). The table 32 comprises an upstanding flange 34: forming a fixed abutment disposed forward of the toggle mechanism and having a vertical slot 35 in which is seated a screw-threaded shouldered stud 36 having a polygonal head and whose threaded end engages a threaded socket in slide 31. Rotation ofthe stud thus adjusts the positionV of the slide 31 on the table 32 and thus changes the position of the front pivotal axis of toggle link 26. Y

One of the toggle links, for example, the link 26 is provided with a boss or projection 37 at its under side and at a point near the pivot pin 27, such boss being adapted to engage an adjustable stop screw 38 (Fig. 2) having threaded engagement with an opening in the table 32. This stop screw is intended to be so adjusted that after the pivot pin 27 of the toggle device has moved downwardly slightly below Ythe dead center line defined by the sha-ft 25 and the pins 29 and 30, its further downward movement is stopped by engagement of the lug 37 with the`l pin. In this position with the pivot-27 slightly'below the dead/center position, the toggle locks the feed roll support unyieldingly against forward movement.

F or actuating the toggle device, I provide a connecting rod 39, whose upper end engages the pivot pin 27 (the links 23 and 26 prefer@ ably having registering openings for the reception of the upper end of the rod 39). The lower end of this rod is secured to a treadle 40 mounted at its rear end upon a rod 41 and having a foot rest 42 at its forward end.

Preferably the feed roll support carries the transverse rod 43which supports an apron 44 extending forwardly and downwardly so as to protect the operator from Contact with the adjusting screw 36 and adjacent parts, and serving as a support for that portion of the work which is forwardof'the feed roll.

' In operation, it being assumed that the feed roll 13 has been swung'forwardly away from the cutter, and that the stud 36 has first Y been properly adjusted to attain the desired depth of the cut, the operator advances the end of the hide or skin into the space between the feed roll or cutter and then by depressing the treadle 42, straightens the toggle so as to force the feed roll toward the cutter'.` As the pivot 27 passes down belovi7 the line of dead centers, further movement is limited by the stop 38 and as the toggle is now slightly broken in a downward direction, the feed roll is unyieldingly locked at a fixed and predetermined distance from the cutter. AThe operator may now remove his foot from the treadle and devote his entire attention to directing the material into'the bite between the feed roll and cutter. The feed roll. may be driven by power, if desired, in any usual manner and as the work passes between the feed roll and cutter, it is shaved .to a uniform thickness. When the operation is completed, the feed roll may be released by lifting the treadle slightly by means of the toe, the springs and 2l completingseparationV of the feed rollV from the cutter;

It will be noted that the toggle is inter posed directly between the fixed abutment 34 and the feed roll support at a point well above the pivot 5 about which the support oscillates and in fact very closely adjacent to the horizontal plane defined by the axis of the cutter. The toggle thus exerts its force or pressure at a point close to the operative position of the feed roll so that there is substantially no possibility-that the spring of the parts will allow the feed roll to move back from its op-V erative position. lVhile, as just described,

the toggle may be moved down to its lower limit, thus `locking the feed roll at a fixed distance from the cutter in order to shave a hide to a uniform thickness, it is evident that if the operator desires'to use the machine for shaving a hide only at selected spots or areas, it is equally useful for this purpose, since so long as the toggle is not depressed below the I'sib-ility of lost motion of appreciable amount Imove back and forth in accordancewith varying footpressure as in the older machines, but with a-decided improvement in operation due to greater accuracy and the better mechanical advantage afforded for transmitting the foot pressureto the feed roll. Moreover, the movableparts necessary to secure the desired resultare reduced substantially ,to a minimum, so that thereis but little posand if suoli lost motion should develop through long use, it may readily be compensated for by the adjustable pintle pins 29 and 30.

-While I prefer to employ a feed roll support which is pivotedto swing, I contemplate Ithat the feed roll support'may-bemovably mounted in any desired manneras, for ex-` ample, upon a suitable'sliding carriage,and further that changes in details of construction and relative location of parts ma be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. j Y

I claim: n

k1. A leather shaving machine comprising a rotating cutter, `a lfeed roll supportarran'gedto swing toward and from the cutter about an axis below thecutter, a hard sure faced feed roll mounted upon the support above said axis, the feed roll being normally spaced from the cutter, and rolllcontrolling means operative to move the feed roll toward the-cutter and to lock the support rigidly in kposition with the feed roll in operative relation to the cutter whereby to prevent the feed roll from yielding away from the cutter during the shaving operation, said roll controlling means comprising a fixed abut ment, and movable means reacting directly against the abutment, and also against the support at a point above said axis. and closely adjacent to the feed roll.

f 2. A leather shaving machine adapted optionally to shave a hide toV aA` uniform thiclness throughout its entire area or to shave the hide 'at selected spots, saidrmachine comprising a rotating cutter,a hard surfaced feed roll, and footactuated means loperative to hold the roll unyieldingly at a definite and predetermined distance from the cutter during the cutting operation or alternatively to permit the roll to `move yieldingly toward and from the cutter duringthe cutting operation, said foot actuated means comprising a movable Vpart and a rigid abutmentT with which said part directly reacts. A

3. A leather shavingmachine comprising a rotating cutter, a movable hard surfaced feed roll support, afee'd roll carried by the 125V support, Vand means for applying forcev t0 the supportata point closely adjacent to the feed roll 'for urging the feed rollin a substantially horizontal direction toward the applying means being operative, to lock the roll unyieldingly at a predetermined distance from the cutter, or alternatively to permit the roll to movetoward and from the cutter during the cutting operation, said force applying means comprising a rigid abutment and movable parts interposed directly between the abutment and support and reacting directly against the abutment.

4. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a rotary cutter journalled therein,

a hard surfaced feed roll bodily movable toward and from the cutter, means for supporting the feed roll, a rigid abutment, means normally holding the roll away from the cutter, and means reacting directly against the abutment and roll supporting means respectively operative to hold the roll unyieldingly in operative relation to the cutter during the shaving operation. 5.` A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a cutter carried thereby, a feed roll bodily movable toward and from'the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll,a rigid abutment, and a toggle directly interposed between the abutment and support and operative to move the roll toward the cutter, said toggle engaging the support at a pointadjacent to the path of movement of the axis of the feed roll.

6. A leather shaving machine comprising a cutter, a feed roll having its axis substantially parallel to the axis of the cutter, a feed roll bodily movable toward and from the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll, a rigid abutment disposed in a plane closely adjacent to the plane defined bythe axes of the cutter and feed roll when the latter is in operative position, and means directly interposed between said abutment and the roll supporting means for exerting force to move the support bodily toward the cutter.

7. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame., `a rotary cutter journaled therein, a feed roll which is bodily movable toward and from the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll, a rigid abutment disposed in front of the feed roll support, and means interposed between the abutment and support for moving the support toward the cutter and for locking it rigidly in a predetermined operative position relative to the cutter.

8. A leather shaving machine comprising a cutter and a hard surfaced feed roll, said cutter and roll being of such length as to admit an entire skin between them, means for supporting the roll for bodily movement toward and from the cutter, and manually actuated means for unyieldingly retaining the roll at a predetermined distance from the cutter during the cutting operation vwhereby a skin may be shaved to predetermined thickness in y a single pass between the cutter and feed roll. 9. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a rotary cutter journaled therein, a

feed 'roll bodily movable toward and from the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll, an abutment which is normally rigidly held in fixed position but which is adjustable at will, said abutment being disposed adjacent to thepath of movement of the feed roll axis, toggle links connected to the abutment and support, respectively, pivot means uniting the toggle links, a connecting rod secured to said pivot means, and a treadle for actuating the connecting rod.

10. A lea-ther shaving machine comprising a frame, a rotary cutter journaled therein, a feed roll bodily movable toward and from the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll, a rigid abutment disposed substantially in the path of movement of the feed roll axis, and a toggle interposed between the abutment and support, said toggle Vreacting directly against the abutment and 'being operative to move the support toward the cutter, and operative to limit movement of the toggle in one direction.

l1. A' leather shaving'machine comprising a frame, a rotary cutter journaled therein, a feed roll bodily movableA toward and from the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll, a rigid abutment disposed substantially in the path of movement of the feed roll axis, and means interposed between the abutment and support operativeto hold the feedroll unyieldingly at a fixed and predetermined distance from the cutter during the cutting operation.

. 12. A leather shaving machine compris# ing a iotating'cutter, a feedroll support arranged to swing about an axis iii an arcuate path toward and from the cutter, a feed roll mountedV upon the support at one side of said axis, and mechanism, including a. rigid abutment and means reacting directly thereagainst, operative to move the support toward the cutter and to lock it unyieldingly in predetermined position, said means engaging the support at the same side of the axis at which the feed roll is mounted.

13. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a cutter journaled therein to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, a feed roll movable substantially horizontally toward and from the cutter, and means for supporting the feed roll, a rigid abutment adjacent to the plane defined by the axes of the cutter and'feed roll, and means interposed between the abutment and feed roll supporting means for temporarily holding the feed roll unyieldingly at a fixed and predetermined distance from the cutter.

lll. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a cutter journaled therein to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, a feed roll movable substantially horizontally toward and from the cutter, means for supporting the feed roll, a rigid abutment adjacent to the plane defined by the axes of the cutter and feed roll, a. toggle comprising a link connected to the abutment, a second link connected to the support at a point adjacent to the axis of the feed roll, a pivot uniting the links, a foot treadle, means for transmitting movement from the treadle to the toggle for moving the toggle, and stop means for limiting relative movement of the toggle links in one direction.

15. A leather shaving machine compris-` ing a frame, a cutter ournaledV therein to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, a feed roll movable substantiallyT horizontally toward and from the cutter means for supporting the feed roll, a rigid abutment, a toggle interposed between the abutment and support, one end of said toggle engaging the feed roll supporting means at a point adjacent to the feed roll axis, means for swinging the toggle toward and through the dead center position, whereby to move feed roll into operative relation to the cutter, and means operative to limit movement of the toggle past the dead center, whereby to hold the feed roll unyieldingly in operative relation to the cutter.

means operativey to. limit movement of the toggle.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, n' this 6th. day of August, 1929.

v FRANK WAYLAND.

ing a cutter and a hard surfaced feed roll, Y

said feed roll and cutter beingof a length sufficient to admit a whole skin between them, means for supporting the roll for bodily movement toward and from the cutter, means for unyieldingly retaining the roll at a predetermined distance from the cutter during the cutting operation, and means for varying such predetermined distance between the cutter and feed roll whereby an entire skin may be shaved to an adjustably predetermined thickness in a single continnous pass between the feed roll and cutter.

17. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a cutter carried thereby, a hard surfaced feed roll bodily movable toward and from the cutter, means for supporting the feed roll, an abutment, a toggle linkage directly interposed between the abutment and the feed roll supporting means, said toggle being operative to move the feed roll toward the cutter, and means operative to hold the abutment rigidly fixed in any of a plurality of predetermined positions of adjustment.

18. A leather shaving machine comprising a frame, a rotary cutter journaled there- Y in, a feed roll bodily movable toward and from the cutter, a movable support for the feed roll, a rigid abutment disposed substantially in the path of movement of the feed roll axis, toggle means connectingthe abutment and support, said toggle means'being operative to move the support toward the cutter, a foot treadle, means connected to the treadle vfor actuating the toggle, and stop Vsus CERTiFIGATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,887,570. November 1s, i932.

FRANK WAYLAN).

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification ofthe above numbered patent requiring correction as follows; Page 3, line124, claim 3, strike out the words "hard surfaced" and insert the same before "feed" sec ond occurrence in line 125; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that thel same may conform to the record of the case inthe Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 17th day of January, A. D. 1933.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

